Nick Cave and Warren Ellis: Carnage review – the firebrand returns
The grief remains, but Cave’s hunger for retribution is back too, heightened at every turn by Ellis’s strings, on this wild, writerly masterpiece - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarGhetts: Conflict of Interest review – one giant leap for grime
Cinematic in scope, movingly honest, with a phalanx of big-name guests, Justin Clarke’s major-label debut is a dazzling piece of storytelling - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBlack Country, New Road: For the First Time review – one of the best albums of 2021
This remarkably biodiverse seven-piece take the rock band format and soar with it - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarThe Weather Station: Ignorance review – a heartbroken masterpiece
Tamara Lindeman’s shimmering breakup songs double as a rallying cry for our ravaged planet - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJohn Eccles: Semele review – pre-Handel opera is a colourful musical gem
Eccles’s 1706 work is a fascinating insight into its era, and this clean, light-on-its-feet version is a gratifying listen - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBach: 12 Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier II review – wilfully immaculate
Playing his own selection of pieces from Bach’s monumental work may be heresy, but Anderszewki’s intelligence, lucidity and joy is undeniable - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarMadlib: Sound Ancestors review – hip-hop visionary tells wondrous stories in sound
Arranged by Four Tet, the producer’s stunning album is poignant and sincere, combining beats, jazz, reggae toasts and vocal snippets into a kind of folklore - Tayyab Amin
starstarstarstarstarBurd Ellen: Says the Never Beyond review – brilliant wintersongs make an eerie snowglobe of sound
Debbie Armour and Gayle Brogan harmonise beautifully and add unnerving sounds to British seasonal songs - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarMegan Thee Stallion: Good News review – galloping into greatness
With easy flow, hard barbs and a magnetic persona, the rapper casts herself as the successor to hip-hop’s old-school heroes - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarDom La Nena: Tempo review – lighthearted enchantment
The Brazilian cellist-singer-songwriter flits between genres and languages with winning ease - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarJeremy Pelt: Griot – This Is Important! review – a jazz album for everyone
Storytelling trumpeter Pelt boldly crosses genres and ages with agile contemporary bop, ballads and spoken word passages - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarElgar: Violin Concerto; Violin Sonata review – sheer beauty and subtle playing
Simon Rattle takes the concerto back to the 19th century and Renaud Capuçon’s partnership with Stephen Hough for the sonata is a meeting of equals - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarNick Cave and Warren Ellis: Carnage review – vivid visions of apocalypse and absolution
Cave’s rich writing and Ellis’s dense beat-free sounds form a reliably vivid picture of locked-down end-times and the fantasy of redemption - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarSal Dulu: Xompulse review – boom-bap dreamscapes
Jazz, ambient and soul harmonise in the Dublin-based producer’s gently daze-inducing debut - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarEnrico Pieranunzi and Bert Joris: Afterglow review – easy grace personified
Italy’s top jazz pianist and one of Belgium’s leading trumpeters have nothing to prove on this effortlessly breezy set of originals - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarSG Lewis: Times review – soaring, subtle disco for kitchen dancefloors
Given the British producer’s skill for emotionally attuned nightclub elation, his debut shouldn’t suffer from the shutdown of its natural habitat - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarDjango Django: Glowing in the dark review – another masterclass in genre-blurring
The hooks may take a little longer to land, but the London-based four-piece continue to shape-shift with ease - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarAnansy Cissé: Anoura review – a heartfelt plea for Mali
Shaken after a run-in with armed thugs, the guitarist returns with a reflective album steeped in his northern homeland - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarYiu: The World Was Once All Miracle; etc review - ode to Burgess and evocations of disco
Three works by Raymond Yiu highlight his instinctive originality, in evocative instrumental writing that is part game, part travelogue - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarVirginia Wing: Private Life review – probing identity amid eclectic synth-pop
Singer Alice Merida Richards combines her calm sprechgesang with rage against millennial misogyny, offset by rich earwormy electronics - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarPauline Anna Strom: Angel Tears in Sunlight review – synth iconoclast's glorious final album
Strom’s first album in 30 years – and last, following her death in December – is a quiet riot of digitally manipulated drones and noise - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarGhetts: Conflict of Interest review – brilliant, sodium-lit melancholy on starry major label debut
Big-label backing and unusual, beautiful arrangements should finally propel Ghetts, long a critic’s favourite, into the big time - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarFredo: Money Can't Buy You Happiness review – melancholy rap realism
Reality bites on the west Londoner’s second album, as he puts the spotlight on drug-selling, prison life and those he has lost - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarEmmet Cohen: Future Stride review – straight outta Harlem
Cohen revisits the stride piano sound of the roaring 20s on a set of classics and originals with charm to spare - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarFemi Kuti and Made Kuti: Legacy+ review – Afrobeat's first family look forward
Divided into two sections, Fela Kuti’s son and grandson rework his signature sound, adding their own political commentary - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarThe Staves: Good Woman review – folk-poppers rail against patriarchy
On their third release, the Watford trio’s beautiful songwriting thrums with frustration at powerlessness and passivity - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarArlo Parks: Collapsed in Sunbeams review – silky and sublime
Poetry runs through everything from trip-hop to neosoul on the 20-year-old’s gorgeous debut album - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarSteven Wilson: The Future Bites review – prog-popper probes the future
The former Porcupine Tree frontman moves further from his rock past as he packages up digital-age musings into bite-size pop - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarJoe Lovano Trio Tapestry: Garden of Expression review – a jazz unit with total empathy
Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi hit the heights again with a lovely minimal second album where the spaces resonate - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarArlo Parks: Collapsed in Sunbeams review – a diaristic, near-perfect debut
She may be saddled with being the Voice of a Generation, but the London singer-songwriter’s warm, conversational and observant debut justifies the hype - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarAshnikko: Demidevil review – unfiltered debut of an innate pop provocateuse
Audacious and explicit, Ashton Casey fulfils all the hype on this playful, genre-surfing set - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarKiwi Jr: Cooler Returns review – clever, easy-going jangle pop
The Toronto band’s accomplished second album stands out from the usual run of DIY indie - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBranford Marsalis: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Soundtrack review – Chicago 1927 revisited
Marsalis’s film soundtrack is an impeccable recreation of Ma Rainey’s studio sessions - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarBicep: Isles review – dance duo create the ultimate living-room rave
The Northern Irish producers kick over the dinner-party table with an album that matches the scope and ambition of 90s dance artists - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarSleaford Mods: Spare Ribs review – a joyous tonic
Inspired guest turns add a twist, but the duo’s blazing invention and lacerating lyrics remain the main draw - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarCerys Matthews, Hidden Orchestra and 10 Poets: We Are from the Sun review – works a treat
Poets ranging from Liz Berry to Imtiaz Dharker are backed by shifting arrangements by Matthews and Joe Acheson on this remarkable collaboration - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarYvette Janine Jackson: Freedom review – vivid voyage through hate
The composer’s two new works, exploring slavery and homophobia, are like immersive non-visual films - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarPlaisirs Illuminés: Works by Veress, Ginastera, Coll, etc review – spellbinding meeting of virtuoso equals
Violinist Kopatchinskaja gives the remarkable Camerata Bern and cellist Gabetta space to impress in this vivid collection - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarTina May: 52nd Street (and Other Tales) review – a fitting tribute to Duncan Lamont
The songs of the late saxophonist, composer and songwriter are done full justice by vocalist Tina May and the James Pearson Trio - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarClassical home listening: Stuart Skelton sings Lehár, Korngold and more
The Australian tenor takes centre stage on a fine disc of Austro-German late Romanticism. Plus, Inga Kalna’s solo debut - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarFarhot: Kabul Fire Volume 2 review – gut-shaking hip-hop collage
The Afghan-born producer skilfully explores his heritage with an unruly collage of vocal samples blended with diasporic sounds - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarVerklärte Nacht review – poetic journeys between dark and light
Edward Gardner finds sumptuous intensity in Schoenberg’s drama, alongside a lesser-known version by Fried and dramatic song pairings to frame an intriguing collection - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBarry Gibb: Greenfields – The Gibb Brothers' Songbook Vol 1 review – a spin in the country
With subtle, beautiful arrangements, this foray into country-pop with covers by the likes of Dolly Parton, Jason Isbell and Gillian Welch is testament to the Bee Gees’ greatness - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarDrive-By Truckers: The New OK review – unflinching protest rock
The US rockers rail against Trump, fascism and police violence in their second album this year - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarSteve Earle and the Dukes: JT review – a father's fond farewell
Steve Earle reprises 10 songs by his son, the late Justin Townes Earle - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarThe Avalanches: We Will Always Love You review – multilayered, blissed-out psychedelia
The Melbourne duo meticulously stitch together an array of guests and samples on their rewarding third album - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarSonny Rollins: Rollins in Holland review – saxophone colossus on gale-force form
Unreleased recordings of a 1967 tour capture an improv masterclass with Ruud Jacobs and Han Bennink - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarTaylor Swift: Evermore – rich alt-rock and richer character studies
Not content with releasing one of 2020’s most acclaimed albums, Swift returns for round two - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven: The Piano Trios review – Barenboim revisits past glories
Fifty years after his classic recordings with Jacqueline du Pre, Barenboim joins with his violinist son and cellist Kian Soltani to bring nuance and thoughtfulness to these seven piano trios - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarPaul McCartney: McCartney III review – lockdown LP has his best songs in years
Returning to the critic-confounding solo home recordings of his McCartney series, this album is – some oddities and filler aside – affectingly personal and hugely enjoyable - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarFlohio: No Panic No Pain – a seething statement of intent
The south London rapper takes centre stage on her full-throttle debut mixtape - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarGabriel Latchin Trio: I'll Be Home for Christmas review – the gift that keeps on giving
The pianist’s American songbook-inspired album is an all-year-round keeper - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarBrandee Younger and Dezron Douglas: Force Majeure review – perfect marriage of harp and bass
The couple combine forces on a jazzy chamber album full of harmonic intelligence and symbiosis - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarFlohio: No Panic No Pain review – rapper leaves no mould unbroken
The south London rapper broadens and deepens her emotional range, while continuing to select unexpected production partners - Kemi Alemoru
starstarstarstarstarRegards sur l'Infini review – glowing, intriguing French chamber music
Katharine Dain and Sam Armstrong have used lockdown to produce a memorable, effortlessly polished album - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarTayla Parx: Coping Mechanisms review – a treat of a breakup album
The songwriter steps out of Ariana Grande’s studio and into her own for this impressive, genre-crossing second solo album - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarLuke Abbott: Translate review – lush and cavernous
Creepy film music meets bucolic dance on the Norfolk producer’s cosmic third album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarNeil Young: Archives Vol II: 1972-1976 review – guitar duels, live jams and onstage banter
This long-awaited box set captures the Canadian grappling with fame while boldly pursuing unfamiliar sounds and moods - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarContento: Lo Bueno Está Aquí review – 'salsapunks' invent a joyful hybrid
Blending salsa with electronic elements, Afrobeat and lo-fi vocals, the Colombian duo bring infectious positivity to a classic genre - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarKoechlin: Les Chants de Nectaire, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Series review – perfectly formed flute miniatures
The French composer loved the flute and these short works are exquisite, be they playful, languorous or nostalgic - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarCabaret Voltaire: Shadow of Fear review – a fittingly dystopian fantasy from Sheffield's industrial pioneers
The first Cabaret Voltaire album in more than two decades feels oddly of the moment, their grim presentiments about disinformation, curfews and crackdowns fulfilled - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBenee: Hey U X review – endearingly careworn
The 20-year-old New Zealander’s charming debut is a patchwork of genre-hopping songs with a fragile edge - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarGillian Welch: Boots No 2: The Lost Songs, Vol 3 review – more riches after the flood
This final instalment of unpublished gems from Welch and David Rawlings doesn’t disappoint - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarArchitects: For Those That Wish to Exist review – a scream in the face of climate doom
Cobweb-blasting singing, brain-invading melodies and skin-scouring riffs offer no relief from this wrestling match with impending disaster - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarThe Hold Steady: Open Door Policy review – Springsteen-isms welcome
The Brooklyn-based rockers add a splash of brass to their everyman stylings on this lyrical eighth album - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarLael Neale: Acquainted With Night review – music to feel absently blue to
The folk-pop songwriter meanders between memory and fantasy on her concertedly quiet Sub Pop debut - Jenessa Williams
starstarstarstarstarGillian Welch and David Rawlings: All the Good Times review – lockdown covers of Dylan and Prine
The pandemic hangs heavy in the long-term duo’s first album to share joint billing, and thrives when Welch leads - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarMahler: Symphonies 1-10 review – a sumptuous Berlin Phil moves from the glib to the sublime
This mammoth undertaking, of all of Mahler’s symphonies with different conductors over the last decade, brings variable musical results - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLa Chica: La Loba review – a she-wolf's ghostly grief
The tragic death last year of the singer-songwriter’s brother informs every beat of this powerfully minimal EP - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarSia: Music review – so-so soundtrack to her controversial film
The star-studded album from her film about autism should be safer ground for Sia, but even here there are pitfalls - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarFoo Fighters: Medicine at Midnight review – music for toilet breaks at their gigs
Dave Grohl’s band keep changing their methods but the results sound the same, even as they aim at David Bowie disco on their first LP since 2017 - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarGoat Girl: On All Fours review – more tuneful, less edgy
This magnificently sullen band smooth things out on their eclectic second album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarAlostmen: Kologo review – Ghanaian trad meets trance
This fiery debut blends Ghanaian strings with stylish rap, percussion and trance rhythms - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarCeleste: Not Your Muse review – a debut with occasional hidden depths
Some bold moments reveal the soul singer’s potential to be more than the voice of TV jingles and Adele stop-gaps - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarFrankie Armstrong: Cats of Coven Lawn review – at 80, still as intimate as ever
The Natural Voice authority marks her 80th year with an album of politics, yearning and otherworldliness, always stretching her sound - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarAdams: My Father Knew Charles Ives; Harmonielehre review – evocations of New England
John Adams’s work, imagining a musical meeting of minds, sounds refined, though Harmonielehre is missing some majesty - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBuck Meek: Two Saviors review – too laid-back for his own good
The Big Thief guitarist’s wonderfully relaxed second solo album all but drifts by - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarZayn: Nobody Is Listening review – music to make babies to
The former One Directioner has retreated to the bedroom on this impressively assured set of R&B booty calls - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarPearl Charles: Magic Mirror review – LA singer's sugar and strife
Combining various soft rock touchstones, Charles’s new album sometimes veers into cloyingly sentimental pastiche - Alim Kheraj
starstarstarstarstarShame: Drunk Tank Pink review – indie punks confront the post-gig era
The London band went from playing a 350-show stretch to nothing at all – and while tunes are lacking, their subsequent dislocation makes for some thrilling music - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarViagra Boys: Welfare Jazz review – post-punkers are hard to love
Expanding on their pulverising visions of lowlifes and inadequates, Viagra Boys’ second just about avoids caricature - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarJack Harlow: That's What They All Say review – breezy confessionals
The Kentucky rapper confronts his newfound fame on a debut album that hints at finer things to come - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarTaylor Swift: Evermore review – a songwriter for the ages
On her second album of the year, Swift dabbles with country noir and dives into the world of unbalanced relationships - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarEminem: Music to Be Murdered By Side B review – one for the stans
The album’s deluxe version adds an hour of new music rich in dextrous delivery but intent on pushing the same old buttons - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarPaul McCartney: McCartney III review – light from the bunker
The former Beatle’s latest offering possesses the same playful spirit as his 1970 solo debut - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarRosie Carney: The Bends review – spirited Radiohead covers
Finding her way through a pandemic-inspired crisis, Carney’s bedroom recordings can be a little smooth, but she finds gutsiness on Sulk - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarRico Nasty: Nightmare Vacation review – a pummelling debut
The 23-year-old Marylander delivers the aggro punk-rap party of a lifetime - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarSigur Rós: Odin's Raven Magic – bold orchestral manoeuvres from 2004
Inspired by a 14th-century poem, the Icelandic band conjure otherworldly grandeur on this long-awaited live recording - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarM Ward: Think of Spring review – a spectral tribute to Billie Holiday
The ever-questing Matthew Ward turns his minimalist attentions to Holiday’s lush 1958 album Lady in Satin - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarRico Nasty: Nightmare Vacation review – offbeat rapper is impossible to ignore
The high-volume delivery may be an acquired taste but there are gems to be found in this album of chaotic experimentalism - Timi Sotire
starstarstarstarstarGolijov: Falling Out of Time review – meditation on grief is an allusive patchwork
Inspired by a novel of a father seeking connection with a dead child, Golijov’s work has a multitude of stylistic elements and instruments but not enough emotional heft - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarMiley Cyrus: Plastic Hearts review – too plastic, but has heart
From floaty synth ballads to punky 80s pop, this album’s middling material doesn’t adequately serve this unusual star - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarKali Uchis: Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞ review – her best is yet to come
In her first fully Spanish release, the LA-based artist offers a suck-it-and-see set with glimmers of promise - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarKaty Carr: Providence review – Anglo-Polish ballads of freedom
The Nottingham-born singer returns to her roots, with a more personal edge - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarRaye: Euphoric Sad Songs review – heartbreak should be messier
There’s plenty of romantic devastation in pop songs with friendly beats and buoyant melodies on Rachel Keen’s album, but it’s not distinctive enough - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarDave Brubeck: Lullabies – genial sleepytime jazz
The late veteran’s final album offers 15 gentle takes on old melodies and Brubeck originals - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarYungblud: Weird! review – not as strange as all that
The Doncaster firebrand’s first album proper lands uneasily between in-your-face and insecurity - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarShawn Mendes: Wonder review – pop's nicest man needs a personality
Mendes has a good voice and is occasionally inventive – here’s hoping he has a future beyond soundtracking weddings - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarSmashing Pumpkins: Cyr review – infinite flatness
Three of the band’s original members drift back to the 80s with a synth-fuelled endurance test of an album - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarMiley Cyrus: Plastic Hearts review – mock rock
The punky sneer of this post-divorce album feels like an act - Kitty Empire
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